Sexual orientation

Gay students at America’s military service academies are wrapping up the first year when they no longer had to hide their sexual orientation, benefiting from the end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that used to bar them from seemingly ordinary activities like taking their partners openly to graduation events.

Officials at the nation’s major military academies say repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy won’t cause any fundamental changes in daily operations at the schools, and students say they are welcoming and ready for a positive and uneventful transition.